Often times, I get asked what I’m going to do after I’m done teaching English as a Second Language, which is a question I always fail to answer. Asking that to an ESL teacher is like asking most university students in their senior year of school where they will work after university; a question that will be ignored. Although, again and again this topic comes up in the form of your friends leaving the world of ESL for other opportunities (or some just going home to same old opportunities).

In a way, teaching ESL seems like it doesn’t advance your life as much as it is a super fun snooze-bar for a year. It seems (thanks to the amazing stalking abilities of Facebook) that people I know here in Korea seem to go home to the same job options as before they left without seeing much advancement in their career lives. I know there is a lot of personal enrichment from working abroad but it still doesn’t answer that ever antagonizing question of “what will you do next?”. Also, thoughts of going behind the IT desks again with ticketing systems, angry clients, and that special brand of IT corporate culture that any IT professional could recount for you sends chills up my spine (in a bad way).

I’m not one for practicality in my life’s career decisions. Hell, I studied Philosophy in university forever damning me to career jokes that have to do with which coffee shop I want to work at or if they taught me to make cappuccinos in class. The career utility of a Philosophy degree should be considered proof that when it comes to career decisions, I’m not practical. With this even being so, I am day by day inching closer to the close of another contract, which inevitably leads me to questions of what is after this. At this point, I’m inclined to say more ESL teaching, because I need to be honest with myself about two things: 1) I’m not done bouncing around the world and 2) all other options that I see seem abysmal.